Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 9,100 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.22, for a total value of $1,030,302.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,293,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,807,398,554.90. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, May 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.75, for a total value of $1,037,300.00.
• On Wednesday, May 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total value of $1,316,700.00.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.03, for a total value of $2,106,540.00.
• On Friday, May 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.78, for a total value of $3,662,958.00.
• On Thursday, May 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 30,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.61, for a total value of $3,575,344.00.
• On Wednesday, May 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.66, for a total value of $3,718,056.00.
• On Tuesday, May 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 50,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.80, for a total value of $5,940,000.00.
• On Monday, May 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 41,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.45, for a total value of $4,939,365.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 23,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.85, for a total value of $2,745,975.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.42, for a total value of $2,852,290.00.

Aflac Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $113.61 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $113.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The company has a market capitalization of $57.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.90, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were issued a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on Aflac in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.27.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.